family

Family

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We don’t choose them, we are born into them.  It is meant to be a place where we find unconditional love.  Like many aspects of life there will be pain, frustration, embarrassment and we will fail each other…over all of that there is love.  No matter what we must go through we need to remember love.  It won’t be easy and we all need to turn to Jesus through the most difficult of times for peace, for wisdom.  My own family is facing an unexpected death as of yesterday afternoon and all I can do is seek peace from the Lord.  Please pray for us as we work our way through the coming days, and tell the members of your family how much you love them.  May we all find comfort in Jesus Christ.

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“Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Exodus 20:12

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 by a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Take Some Rest

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We can’t keep running at top speed in our minds or in our daily lives.  We must plan down time.  To fill every moment with activity and planning and scheduling will lead to exhaustion.  Mental exhaustion, physical exhaustion and spiritual exhaustion.  We all need time to recharge, to be restored and renewed.  When Jesus was here on earth He often would go off alone to pray.  Before feeding the five thousand He told the disciples…“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”  (Mark 6:31)  In order to be at our best we need to plan time to rest and that means resting our minds as well as our bodies.  If you are someone who always has to be busy, plan some quiet time in small increments to get started.  We all should pray about it as that time in prayer can be restful too.  May the love, joy and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Arches National Park in Utah)

Every Generation

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The cycle of life…we are kids playing in the sand…we learn to ride bikes and gain freedom…we experience our school years and activities…we learn to drive and get our first job…we make choices about post high school and become young adults…people our age are getting married…people our age our having kids and are off into their careers…everybody’s getting older…our parents begin to need more assistance…people our age are getting terminal diagnosis’…we are attending more funerals than weddings…we are slowing down…we go home to the Lord.  This does not describe every aspect of every life, just some of the stages in life.  Every single person you encounter is somewhere on the journey and every single person needs faith to help find the way.  As we learn and grow we need to be purposeful in teaching the next generation about a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Each one teach one to restore hope and to live in peace.  May your life be filled with contentment and joy.

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“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.  One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.”

Psalm 145:3-4

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Madeline Island at Big Bay Town Park in Wisconsin)

He Knows You

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That’s not what I meant…I wish they knew me better…I don’t feel like I fit in…Nobody understands me…have you had moments like this?  I know I have.  You can be surrounded by people but feel like you are isolated.  God knows who you are, He knows what you can do, He knows how you think and He cares for you.  If you feel like you are off the rails in your life, it is time to get back to God.  He is waiting to hear from you.  He is the Creator, the one who formed you and has been right there with you every step of the way in life.  Turn towards God.  Trust in Him.  May you see the blessings from God in your life each day.

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“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Psalm 139:23-24

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisconsin)

All That Is Good Comes From God

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Nothing is more refreshing for the mind and spirit than to take some time to sit peacefully, with nothing but the sounds of the world going on around you and to be with God.  I hope you have a time like that in your life, no matter if it is in the morning, midday or in the evening.  Whatever may work for your life, I can’t emphasize enough the difference it will make in every aspect of your life…it is something you must experience to understand…for me it is the single most important thing I have done to strengthen my faith and to change my life.  Our lives are about our experiences and learning and passing on that experience to others to help them.  Ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart and mind, again and again and again and let the Holy Spirit be your guide.  If you are looking for goodness, kindness and compassion…all that is good comes from God.  May the love, joy and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 145:9

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 in the Botanical Garden at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Neveda)

Creator

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It is good to take a walk and soak in God’s creation.  To look around and see the intricate details that exist.  The flowers, the trees, the water, from tiny bugs to mature wildlife our God is truly creative and imaginative.  It is so easy to lose focus in life, to think that whatever is happening or not happening in our little piece of the world is the beginning or end of everything…we are neither.  It was God who created the world and everything in it and humans cannot improve what God has created, we are here to assist to help maintain what God is sustaining.  In order to do our part well, we need to have a relationship with the Creator and an appreciation for His creation.  As the poem by Cecil Frances Alexander states; “All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.”

May the awe and wonder of God’s creation be present in your life.

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“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.”

Psalm 24:1-2

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

Praise The Lord

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Today is recognized as Independence Day in the US.  A holiday where people can gather and celebrate freedom.  It is a day where we should give thanks to the Lord for all we have in our lives.  Take a moment and reflect on your surroundings, people in your life…all of the good things are gifts from God.  If it is difficult to see goodness, take some time to work on your relationship with God, talk to Him and listen in the quietness of time alone with God.  You were created out of love by God, He is with you and you can have contentment, security, peace and hope for a future in a way that only God can provide by choosing to turn to Him and His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ.  God is good…all the time…and all the time…God is good!  Praise the Lord.  May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.

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“Praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord, O my soul.  I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”

Psalm 146:1-2

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

The Cross

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Come to the Cross…A place to bring your burdens…Savior…Salvation…Forgiveness…Peace.  The Cross of Christ, this is the place we should turn to in all situations.  This is where God sent His One and Only Son to be crucified to save us from our sins.  This is where our relationship with God is reconciled.  There are problems and struggles everywhere you can’t change everything for everyone, but He can.  You can’t change everything but you can change something, you can change one thing that will make a difference in the world…You.  Jesus said ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’  (John 14:6)  Open your heart and mind and invite Jesus Christ into your life everyday.  This will make the world a better place.  May God’s joy and peace be with you.

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“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

John 19:30

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Pike’s Peak in Colorado)

God’s Word

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Instructions…directions…guidance…wisdom…understanding.  It takes a certain attitude to be willing to follow instructions, to accept wisdom from another or to trust the guidance of someone else.  We have to be humble, willing to admit we don’t know our way around a situation or place.  This is easy when we are using one of our devices of “convenience,” a cell phone, Ipad, computer, etc.  It is more difficult when we start involving other people in our need for assistance.  We are challenged to learn how to have humility, to accept our level of knowledge for what it is and to seek out wisdom and to learn from others in history.  God’s Word is the instruction manual for life we all can use.  It provides the Way to make it through this world, it does not say do this and life will be easy and always happy.  It is more honest than that and more about providing wisdom and guidance as help from those who already have lived on earth and know the troubles human beings will have in life.  Pickup a bible and seek the understanding that God provides.  The test for this book is happening all the time in our daily life, how are you answering the multiple choice questions of your life?  May God’s mercy and grace be with you.

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“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

Psalm 119:105

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

Trust God

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I am finding myself seeing examples of the brokenness of people in my daily life interactions and experiences.  Or at least I am more aware of these things than I used to be.  It is discouraging.  We are so willing to pull and push others down for a variety of reasons.  It is so important to seek out what is good and what we have gratitude for in our lives.  If we look around with the eyes the world wants us to, we will be very negative and feeling unworthy.  If we trust in God and His goodness for our perspective it changes things dramatically.  We are never going to know all the answers or understand them while we are here, however, if we trust in the Lord we know that He is working for the good in all things.  May God’s joy and love be with you.

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“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth , Minnesota)